Ocasio-Cortez was the first person since 2004 to challenge the Democratic Caucus Chair, Joe Crowley, in the Democratic primary. She faced a significant financial disadvantage. The Ocasio-Cortez campaign spent $194,000 to the Crowley campaign's $3.4 million.

On June 26, 2018, Ocasio-Cortez received 57.13 percent of the vote (15,897) to Joe Crowley's 42.5 percent (11,761), defeating the 10-term incumbent by almost 15 percentage points. Bernie Sanders congratulated her, saying, "She took on the entire local Democratic establishment in her district and won a very strong victory. She demonstrated once again what progressive grassroots politics can do." Time magazine called her victory "the biggest upset of the 2018 elections so far.”

At 28 years old, Ocasio-Cortez is one of the youngest nominees for Congress. If elected, she would be the youngest woman ever elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

You can wrap something up in a pretty bow and wrappings all you want, but at the end of the day, socialism... or even democratic socialism if you prefer... is still an ugly and unwanted present. Americans, especially young Americans are so ignorant and arrogant that they think socialism is controllable and that they can manage it efficiently so that it won't harm people. Socialism is a system that tries to force equality down the throat of the people, and it only winds up dividing the people further into enemies. Keep socialism out of the U.S. This country runs best on a central platform and a central government which represents the majority of Americans. The extreme systems of the lefts and rights do not.

_________________If you cannot inspire yourself to read a book about women's basketball, or any book about women's sports, you cannot inspire any young girl or boy to write a book about them. http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/Richardstrek

It seems that socialist or democratic socialist, is being thrown out without regard to the definition. I don’t see advocating free healthcare and free college tuition as enough to give yourself either label. Bernie Sanders calling himself a democratic socialist made it an in vogue term, but reporters should start asking these candidates if they really are advocating state ownership of companies, or even worker control of companies. She defined democratic socialism on The View as “no person should be too poor to live”. That got big applause from the audience, but nobody, including possibly her, know what it is referring to.

They left out a lot of Ocasio-Cortez’s bio when they referred to her as a “bartender”.

You can wrap something up in a pretty bow and wrappings all you want, but at the end of the day, socialism... or even democratic socialism if you prefer... is still an ugly and unwanted present. Americans, especially young Americans are so ignorant and arrogant that they think socialism is controllable and that they can manage it efficiently so that it won't harm people. Socialism is a system that tries to force equality down the throat of the people, and it only winds up dividing the people further into enemies.

Please! This kind of thinking is far more ignorant than the alleged ignorance/arrogance of "young Americans".

You and I are/will be benefitting from "socialist" programs: Social Security & Medicare, for example.

It is the uninformed phobias of the masses that the Republicans prey upon to stoke their bases; "Socialism" is NOT a four letter word.[Reminder: don't confuse Socialism with Communism] As a system, it is certainly now without flaws. But just as certainly, "dividing people further into enemies" has been a long-standing hallmark of Capitalism, too. Look around ya....

A primary example: Socialized Medicine/Universal Health Care is proven to be more effective than our 'capitalistic' model. USA spends more $$$ per patient than any other country, yet ranks 12th (TWELFTH!). Socialism can be an effective form of government if making the 1% of wealthiest folks even richer is NOT your primary goal.

Sorry, Howee, but I know what socialism is. It's not being able to own a $500 Michael Jordan trading card because a socialistic government says that either everyone has to own a $500 Michael Jordan card, (even if they don't want one) or no one can. You can't be better off or look better off than any one of your neighbors. Everyone has to be equal by law as set by socialistic standards. No one can be wealthy or poor because government controls the wealth of the people. Socialism demands absolute power over its people. And Absolute Power corrupts absolutely.

_________________If you cannot inspire yourself to read a book about women's basketball, or any book about women's sports, you cannot inspire any young girl or boy to write a book about them. http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/Richardstrek

Sorry, Howee, but I know what socialism is. It's not being able to own a $500 Michael Jordan trading card because a socialistic government says that either everyone has to own a $500 Michael Jordan card, (even if they don't want one) or no one can. You can't be better off or look better off than any one of your neighbors. Everyone has to be equal by law as set by socialistic standards. No one can be wealthy or poor because government controls the wealth of the people. Socialism demands absolute power over its people. And Absolute Power corrupts absolutely.

Where DO you get your ideas? I take it you've lived in a socialist society and had your trading cards taken from you? How absurd. Make some friends in the UK, Norway, Germany, etc., where elements of socialism are alive and well. And NOBODY gets their trading card taken away.

[quote="Howee"][quote="Richard 77"]Sorry, Howee, but I know what socialism is. It's not being able to own a $500 Michael Jordan trading card because a socialistic government says that either everyone has to own a $500 Michael Jordan card, (even if they don't want one) or no one can. You can't be better off or look better off than any one of your neighbors. Everyone has to be equal by law as set by socialistic standards. No one can be wealthy or poor because government controls the wealth of the people. Socialism demands absolute power over its people. And Absolute Power corrupts absolutely.[/quote]

Where DO you get your ideas? I take it you've lived in a socialist society and had your trading cards taken from you? How absurd. Make some friends in the UK, Norway, Germany, etc., where elements of socialism are alive and well. And NOBODY gets their trading card taken away. [/quote]

You forgot Venezuela.

_________________If you cannot inspire yourself to read a book about women's basketball, or any book about women's sports, you cannot inspire any young girl or boy to write a book about them. http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/Richardstrek

People need to stop bringing up dictatorships that have zero in common with the European/Scandinavian socialist model that we are discussing. It is nothing more than a red herring.

Socialism is an economic model, not a form of government, and it can be combined with a authoritarian rule or democratic rule. Just as capitalism can be authoritarian or democracy.

The European/Scandinavian model isn't what Ocasio-Cortez has been talking about. As I said Democratic Socialism, as preached by Ocasio-Cortez, is not the same as Social Democracy, as is practiced in Scandinavia.

I'm a centrist. America needs to be governed on a centrist platform. Democratic socialism is nowhere near a centrist platform.

And let's be honest. If the caravan of individuals in Central America reached our border, gained asylum, and they, or their children, and then grandchildren became citizens of our country and gained the right to vote, do you really think they would they vote for a candidate with any form of the word social in that candidate's political party title?

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

_________________If you cannot inspire yourself to read a book about women's basketball, or any book about women's sports, you cannot inspire any young girl or boy to write a book about them. http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/Richardstrek

People need to stop bringing up dictatorships that have zero in common with the European/Scandinavian socialist model that we are discussing. It is nothing more than a red herring.

Socialism is an economic model, not a form of government, and it can be combined with a authoritarian rule or democratic rule. Just as capitalism can be authoritarian or democracy.

The European/Scandinavian model isn't what Ocasio-Cortez has been talking about. As I said Democratic Socialism, as preached by Ocasio-Cortez, is not the same as Social
Democrats, as is practiced in Scandinavia.

Ah yeah, you are correct. However, my point still stands, the Venezuelan model is not at all what democratic socialists like Ocasio-Cortez or social Democrats like the Noric countries are about. Conflating them is silly.

While democratic socialists feel that capitalism is inherently flawed and inequality will find a way to surface no matter what regulations are instituted, and the social democrats believe that a well regulated capitalist economy can potentially be successful, both fully reject the Marxist-Leninist concept of socialism that uses an authoritarian style of government (ie: what we see in Venezuela).

If most US citizens wanted to keep abortion legal, supported gay marriage, supported medicare for all, supported gun background checks and an assault weapons ban, wanted clean air and water and supported DACA, what would be centrist?

If most US citizens wanted to keep abortion legal, supported gay marriage, supported medicare for all, supported gun background checks and an assault weapons ban, wanted clean air and water and supported DACA, what would be centrist?

Exactly. What "the left" wants is actually centrist common sense policies. We only look extreme to those falling off the right wing cliff.

_________________Follow your passion and your life will be true down to your core.